


Falling In Love With You

by kissmyapplejuice



Category: GabeNath - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluffy, Gabriel is emotionally stunted, KMA is going through some things, feelings are hard, processing feelings is hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissmyapplejuice/pseuds/kissmyapplejuice
Summary: Who knew a cup of tea could change how you look at things
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Nathalie Sancoeur, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 17
Kudos: 99
Collections: GabeNath Book Club and Art Club Server





	Falling In Love With You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. How are you doing? I hope it’s well because one of us needs to be. My own heart and brain have been beating me up, so I wanted some fluffy stuff to help me out. I’ve been incredibly needy as of late, and just…I don’t like it. Makes me feel like a burden so fluffy content helps. It uplifts me and lets me write out/though my own insecurities surrounding relationships, and I happened to do this one with another emotionally constipated individual – the one and only, Gabriel Agreste. 
> 
> Disclaimers: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir are not owned by me because alas if they were…Gabenath would have already happened

It was Fashion Week in Paris and Gabriel was at his wit's end. It was three in the morning and it looked like it was going to be another all-nighter for the already sleep-deprived designer. He hangs his head, his fingers running through his disheveled hair as he stares in exasperation at his designs that he was going to present at the end of the week.

They were all wrong.

The dresses didn’t hang right. The suits were the wrong color. The accessories were outdated and drab.

Wrong. _Wrong. WRONG._

A delicate clink breaks his focus as a cup of tea appears in front of him. His gray eyes drift upward to see Nathalie’s retreating figure.

“Nathalie?” Nathalie looks back at him from his office door, a warm smile on her face.

“It’s chamomile, sir. You need to get some sleep,”

“But the presentation pieces,”

“You aren’t going to get anything done if you stay up all night again. Take a break, sir,” He looks down at the steaming liquid with a flutter in his chest, and his eyes go wide at the familiar and forgotten sensation. That hadn’t happened since… “Good night, sir. Sleep well.” Gabriel’s attention snaps back up to see her retreat out of the door. He stares at the now empty space with a perplexed on his face before allowing his focus to drift back towards the tea.

“Since Emilie.” His own whisper startles him as he tries to still his rapid heartbeat. What was happening? Gabriel takes a sip and lets the warmth of the liquid penetrate his bones. It was perfectly brewed, unexpected from his perfectionist for an assistant. Smiling softly as she once again invades his mind, Gabriel picks up his stylist and swipes to one of his particularly troublesome dress designs. Completely erasing the disaster in front of him, he opts for a more simplistic look with clean lines and a high neckline. Darkening the color and adding subtle designs into the fabric to give the appearance of a flat affect but when you step closer, there is an intricate web of leaves and flowers present. He finishes the last of the tea and leans back to look at the new design. Gone was the extravagant soft pink, silk gown with intricate beading and deep-v neckline - a dress that Emilie would have no doubt loved to pieces - and in its place, there was a deep red, nearly black velvet dress with a high neckline, long sleeves, and cutouts at the shoulders.

It was the most beautiful piece he had ever created, but a seed doubt started to bloom in his heart. He erased a design for Emilie without a second thought, it felt he was betraying her. Like he was replacing her. How could he just replace Emilie? Then he thinks back to Adrien’s words a few months back as they sat in the garden about how if Nathalie could make him happy again that it was fine with him. He sets the stylist down with a pensive look on his face. He wasn’t replacing Emilie, he was moving on to hopefully, a very bright future.

With a smile, he stands and turns out the lights before heading upstairs up for some much-needed rest.

* * *

In the end, he kept the colors for the new line to a limited palette - Nathalie’s colors. Black. Reds. Purples. Blues. Splashing in complementary colors here and there, but in the end, everything in the line screamed Nathalie even if she didn’t realize it. Critics and other designers raved about the collection calling it bold and saying that it was unlike anything he had done before. He was proud of what he had done and wanted to see Nathalie’s reaction to them because he had kept them a secret from even her. However, he was disappointed when she remained stoic when the designs were unveiled.

“Monsieur Agreste! Monsieur Agreste! How did you come up with all of these brilliant designs?” The flashing lights overwhelm him causing his anxiety to rise, maybe coming out had been a bad idea. His heart rate starts to pick up with every scream for attention and every click of a camera until…

“You’re fine, Gabriel,” Nathalie’s voice appears at his side and his eyes, full of panic, drift down to her face. She leans in close and whispers in his ear, making it seem like she was talking to him about important business matters. “Just focus on one question at a time and try to not worry about anything else. Adrien and I will stand in the back and if you need to focus on something away from all of this just find us, okay?”

“Okay,” Nathalie leans back and smiles subtly up at him - an action that causes his heart to fall to his stomach - “thank you, Nathalie.”

“Of course, sir, now the public awaits.” She makes a hasty retreat and Gabriel turns his attention back toward the swarm before him, adjusting his tie as he feels the beads of sweat forming on his brow. His eyes quickly scan the back of the room until the fall on Nathalie, gliding up to Adrien.

“The inspiration,” Gabriel takes a deep breath and clears his throat as he tries to still his mind. His eyes open to see his son with a huge smile on his face, giving him a big thumbs up. He is grateful for the encouragement, but he puts all of his focus on the woman next to the boy, “the inspiration behind this collection is a very special person in my life and I wanted to encapsulate them into every single design. The subtlety of their personality has a certain elegance and warmth to it that can be missed because of their rigid and formal exterior. This person is very special, and therefore, this collection is very special, and I am glad that it has been received so well by the public. That is enough questions for today, I have to get home.”

Despite the clear finality of his statement, the press still threw questions at him asking who this person was, if he was seeing someone, how did they get along with Adrien? He ignored them and made his way to the waiting car as quickly as he could. As he rounds the corner, he hears Adrien in the distance.

“Who do you think Father was talking about to the press?” Gabriel keeps his distance as he watches his son and Nathalie.

“Your mother, of course,” Nathalie pulls Adrien close and guides him to the car, opening the back door for him, “that is the only woman in his life,”

“You’re a woman in his life,” Adrien chuckles as he slides into the rear of the car.

“I’m just his assistant, Adrien,”

Adrien’s green eyes twinkle with mischievousness, “You’re more than that, Nathalie, you’re family.”

“I suppose if you would like to think of me that way, I wouldn’t be opposed.” Gabriel feels a shiver as he watches her face fall to what looked like disappointment, and he finds himself approaching to comfort her but she notices him. Her expression immediately steeling itself to hide any sort of emotion, “Oh! Sir, I didn't expect to see you so soon, are you ready to go?”

“Yes, Nathalie, I am ready to go home.” He slides into the leather seat of the car, a slight pang of disappointment in his heart as she shuts the door behind him.

“I liked your designs, Father,” Gabriel’s gray eyes move to his son’s smiling face.

“Thank you, Adrien, I’m glad they were so well-received by everyone,”

“Who was the inspiration behind them?” Involuntarily, Gabriel looks towards the front passenger seat where a certain dark-haired woman was sitting, but he quickly looks back at Adrien praying that he hadn't noticed.

“Another time, son.”

“Of course, Father.” Adrien smiles knowingly, of course, he hadn’t missed his father’s subtle look at Nathalie. Maybe he hadn’t been so wrong in his assumption from when Aunt Amelie and Félix had visited.

* * *

Gabriel drags himself into his office after the car ride, seemingly exhausted from the amount of human interaction from the day and the overwhelming pressure from the week. Nathalie obediently follows, his designs tucked safely in her arms to be deposited on his design table as he sinks into his desk chair.

“Do you need anything else, sir?” He is startled by her voice suddenly piercing the quiet atmosphere of the room.

“No, I am quite done for today. Thank you, Nathalie, for everything you’ve done this week.”

“Of course, sir, that’s my job.” She slips out as he pinches the bridge of his nose, a small headache starting to form. He doesn’t even notice her leave.

“Wait! There is…” Gabriel looks up to see an empty room and sighs. “Another day then.”

* * *

That other day ended up being two months later after a half-hearted attempted to get the Miraculous back from Chat Noir and Ladybug.

“Hawkmoth, what was that?!” Nathalie, as Mayura, storms into the lair in a flurry of blue and purple, her pink eyes burn with rage. “Were you even trying to get the Miraculous?”

Gabriel sighs and he looks up at the woman draped in blue, “No,”

“Why?! They are the only way that we will be able to bring back…” Nathalie doesn’t finish her sentences before Gabriel pulls her close, his lips covering hers. Her eyes go wide as a faint blush appears on her cheeks. Her hands frozen in place as she processes the current situation. As quickly as the kiss started, it ended. He slowly begins to pull away. His breathing on hold as he waits for a response but when nothing happens, panic begins to settle in.

“I’m so sorry, Nathalie, I shouldn’t have…”

“Duusu, fall my feathers,” A blue flash floods the room, and Nathalie’s pale hand frames his mask-covered face.

“Gabriel,” Her blue eyes are filled with confusion as she searches his, and she sees the doubt swimming behind his gray orbs.

“Nooroo, dark wings fall,” Another flash fills the room, and as his transformation falls, Gabriel feels more exposed than ever.

“Gabriel, please,” Gabriel watches as a few tears begin to fall from her eyes as he presses their foreheads together, “please explain this to me,”

“You know that feeling you get when you look at something that is so exquisite and lovely that you can’t help but stare?”

“Yes,” Gabriel’s thumb brushes away one of her stray tears.

“That joy. That sense of awe. That feeling of wonder and fascination,” Blue meets gray, “is what I feel when I look at you,”

“Gabriel, I’m not…”

“You are,” Gabriel takes Nathalie’s hands into his, kissing the palms, “you are more exquisite than any work of art, but your beauty isn’t even the best part of you. The best part about you is your heart, Nathalie. Your compassion and love are only outweighed by your unwavering sense of discipline and loyalty. You have fierceness in you that you try to hide, but I see it every time you are Mayura, and every time I see you stand-up for Adrien. Then there are the little things you do, too, from the way your tongue sticks out a little when you are focused on your work or your ability to always know what it is needed even before you are asked. You are stunning. You, Nathalie Sancoeur, are a remarkable human being, and I am unworthy of you, but I hope…”

“Yes?” She croaks out, an obvious sob caught in her throat as he praises her.

“I hope that…” Gabriel takes a deep breath as he feels his own tears start to form behind his closed eyelids, “that it isn’t too late for me to have a chance to properly show you how much you mean to me,”

A beat passes as Nathalie wraps her head around his words. Nathalie feels all of her emotions hit her at once as a grin spreads across her face and her joy overwhelms her, “God, yes,”

“Yes?” Gabriel steps back, in surprise, looking at the un-Natahlielike smile on the woman before him's face.

“Yes, Gabriel,” Her joy is matched by him as he takes her face into his hands, pressing a kiss onto her waiting lips. The passion and love pouring out from both of them.

“I promise you, Nathalie,” Gabriel gathers her into his arms, pressing her firmly into him, “I will spend the rest of my life showing you how valued you are,”

Nathalie laughs as she wipes away some of her tears, “You’re making this sound more like a marriage proposal,”

“We’ll talk about that later,” The look of shock on her face causes Gabriel to chuckle as the couple make their way towards the lift, fingers intertwined together, “but for now, let’s go to dinner just you and me,”

“And Adrien,” Nathalie squeezes his hands tightly as she looks up at him as the lights of the lift zoom past them, “he is just as much a part of this as the both of us,”

“Of course, and Adrien, but honestly, I think he is going to be completely fine with the whole thing,”

“How do you know?” Gabriel smirks and leans down to give her another tender kiss.

“Because you’re already part of the family,” Nathalie smiles at the sentiment as they exit into the atelier, both adults eager to start this new journey.

“Gabriel,” Nathalie stops, pulling Gabriel to a halt, too. Her motion causes Gabriel to turn to her, his face still has a blissful quality when he looks at her.

“Yes?”

“When did this,” Nathalie gestures between the two of them, “change for you?”

“When you brought me tea,” Nathalie raises her eyebrow, confusion evident on her face, “that night in fashion week. I can’t really explain it, but something about that night flipped a switch inside of me. Maybe seeing your thoughtfulness caused me to really look at you in a different light or maybe your need to take care of me brought to light feelings that had been bubbling all along,”

“That was over two months ago though,”

“It takes a brave man to tell the woman you love how you feel, and I have never claimed to be brave,” He begins to pull her towards the door, but Nathalie’s steadfast posture keeps them rooted.

“You love me?” Gabriel’s eyes go wide as he thinks about what he had just said. _Shit_.

“I mean…I could…it’s just…” Nathalie giggles and places a kiss on his cheek before heading out of the door before him.

“Good because I love you, too.” It takes a minute for Gabriel to process her words before a grin splits across his face before he runs after her. For the first time, in a long time, feeling a sense of excitement as he looks towards the future. Call him foolish for rushing things, but there was something about Nathalie that made the terrifying plunge worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my fluffy, fluffy writing. Please leave a comment and/or a kudo. You people don’t know how much that means to someone like me.  
> Love,  
> KMA


End file.
